Saturday, June 21, 2008

What soul on Earth doesn't deserve to live?

Mikey and Melody with baby
Sometimes you just want some fresh air…. Kampala is not one of those places. I guess I was hoping to breathe better after so many hours of airplane oxygen. I forgot how travel can wear a person out. It is no wonder why people in Europe travel for 3 or 4 weeks at a time so that they can recoop from the exhaustion. But, there is little you can do but suck it up when you need to move quickly.

I am really tired. I am down right pooped. We traveled a long distance (three separate flights with 18 hours of layovers) but we still wanted to “get there”. The team that we have with us is really amazing. Three dear friends from First Baptist Church in Liberal Kansas, and eleven of us from our home church Community Christian. I can’t tell you how much fun it is to travel with people who are all of the same mindset… “Transforming the World One Family at a Time” We were literally all on the edge of our seats as we drove for 6 hours to Busia Uganda.

In Busia we met some of the most wonderful people you have ever had the pleasure to meet. They cheered, sang and danced as they greeted us.
Melody addressing the widows in Busia
It made me laugh! I didn’t know what to do! I just watched until someone said, “Go and greet them!” I have to tell you I have no idea what that means technically other than a hug. So that is what I did! One old blind widow who could barely walk grabbed my arm and gushed, “Webaly! Webaly!” That means thank you in the Samia language. I took her hands and put them on my face. Her brown eyes covered with a milky blue film began to tear up. She smiled so big that I could see all of the places that she once had teeth. She did not hesitate and boldly investigated my face and hair until at last she pulled me into her arms again crying in her shaky cracked voice… “Webaly.”

Amidst all the noise and celebration that moment in time stays with me. Some would say she is only one old woman and that she has lost her senses along with her teeth so why should we seek to save her when there are so many others who will live longer and need help? Well, I guess it would be hard to understand. But I can’t help but hear her voice… “Webaly”… those words echo in my mind. What soul on Earth doesn’t deserve to live?

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